Bellaire Playground

This area was once a 42-acre tract of farmland owned by the Haubitzer family. In 1899 the National Pigeon Shooters Association bought the property and built a grandstand and casino on the site, calling it Interstate Park. The largest annual trapshooting competition, the Grand American, took place here from 1900 to 1902, but attendance at the yearly event declined as public opinion turned against live target shooting. The event moved to the Midwest, and the park declared bankruptcy at the end of 1902. In 1907 the grandstand was demolished, making way for the development of a residential suburb named Bellaire Park.